In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

We had a very lively discussion in the blog post, “ Are you actively listening ?” I appreciated the comments and insights you shared. After I read through your comments I thought it would be helpful to also look at how we can be better at active listening in our online communications.  Whether communicating with a person face-to-face or online, it’s important to remember that effective communication is two-way communication. This can be hard when we’re using technology because we  see a person’s emotion or response. Kaitlin Duck Sherwood’s, A Beginners Guide to Effective Email summarizes the problems we experience with online communication: “Email also does not convey emotions nearly as well as face-to-face or even telephone conversations. It lacks vocal inflection, gestures, and a shared environment. Your correspondent may have difficulty telling if you are serious or kidding, happy or sad, frustrated or euphoric. Sarcasm is particularly dangerous to use ...

During your one-on-one meetings do you have the undivided attention of the person sitting across from you? Did you give them your full attention?  Active listening seems easy, yet most of us aren’t as good as we think.  Hear What People Are Saying Listening to others is important, but according to Mind Tools , a website that provides tools and resources to help individual become better leaders, reports that, “we remember between 25 percent and 50 percent of what we hear.” Given that we communicate with people every day, we’re missing a lot of important information. Becoming an active listener helps to improve productivity and our ability to lead and influence others. Research suggests that individuals that are active listeners are more effective at communicating and managing conflict. Becoming an Active Listener If you want to be a better basketball player you practice. If you want to give your best speech, you practice. If you want to be a better l...